![Man severely injured after falling off of his bike in Texas.]()
Central Texas Mountain Bike Park Held Accountable After Man Left Paralyzed
Central Texas Mountain Bike Park Held Accountable After Man Left Paralyzed After a serious accident at a Central Texas mountain bike park left him with quadriplegia, a man now has closure and can move on with his life thanks to the spinal cord injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm.
In 2019, the young man visited the park with his friends, who shared an interest in the outdoor sport. A cautious rider, he wore extra safety gear and planned a route on an intermediate, low-intensity trail. However, leading up to a fork in the trail, the park neglected to post proper signage that directed riders to take a sharp turn if they wanted to stay on the easier trail or continue straight, which put riders on the path of a very advanced and difficult trail.
The man unknowingly entered the advanced trail—only realizing it when he was on a wooden platform with a large gap. The only sign to warn the rider of the jump was placed right where the gap began. The young man didn’t know how to jump on his bike, a highly skilled maneuver. The front tire of his bike fell into the gap, and he was slammed into the wooden platform. He lay motionless as he was paralyzed from the neck down. After being airlifted to a nearby hospital, he was diagnosed with a severe spinal cord injury and closed head injury, among other injuries impacting his health.
The man’s family contacted The Button Law Firm, where our experienced personal injury lawyers were able to hold the mountain bike park accountable for his injuries. The settlement secured by our team will help him, and his family cover his medical expenses, future treatments, and other damages for his life-altering injuries.
How This Spinal Cord Injury Could Have Been Prevented
The young man in this case simply wanted to experience a fun outdoor activity safely with his friends. Unfortunately, the mountain bike park did not consider rider safety when creating its experience. The man’s severe spinal cord injury could have been prevented, or treated much faster, had the park’s owners and management taken the following steps:
- Designed the trails in a safe way. Knowing that mountain bikers would be riding at high speeds surrounded by many elements that require their attention, the park should have designed bike paths so that a novice or intermediate rider could avoid ending up on an unintended path.
- Positioned signage in visible locations to warn riders of the trail’s upcoming features. Large signs placed at a distance before the break in the trail path would give riders ample time to plan for their intended path. Additional signs should have also been placed prior to gap jumps, giving riders enough time to come to a stop before approaching any ramp drops.
- Provided emergency call boxes along its trails to compensate for lack of cellphone service in the remote location. Minutes wasted trying to get phone service to call for help can mean the difference between life and death, especially when it comes to spinal cord and other critical injuries that require immediate medical attention.
- Created emergency vehicle access to trails. The young man in this case had to be airlifted to the nearest hospital because an ambulance or other emergency vehicles could not reach him at the scene of the incident.
It is hard to think about how different this man’s life would have been had the mountain bike park instituted just one of the safety measures listed above.
How The Button Law Firm Can Help You with a Spinal Cord Injury Case in Texas
As you can imagine, the road to recovery and adjusting to living with a spinal cord injury is a lifelong journey. Our compassionate and knowledgeable lawyers at The Button Law Firm are ready to advocate for you and your family anywhere in Texas if you have suffered a spinal cord injury. Just like we did for the client in this case, we will hold the negligent parties accountable, so you can get justice and seek compensation to assist with your medical and other expenses and give you peace of mind. Give us a call at 214-699-4409 or submit a contact form here for a free consultation.
